Ok, welcome everyone. A few important notes here. First of all this is a Celestial Forge story. The Celestial Forge is a document of crafting based jumpchain perks from dozens of docs. Every thousand words characters gain a hundred CP (choice points) and can roll for a new perk. If the perk costs more CP than the character has its considered a miss, and they bank the points for the next roll. Early in the story this is going to be a bit wonky because this story was originally written on Questionable Questing as a quest and at the beginning i counted quest prompts and authors notes towards my total. Second important thing to note is that due to the rapidly escalating power scale time in the story will be fairly compressed. The most well known forge story Brocktons Celestial Forge is up to six hundred thousand plus words and it's been a week or two in story. This is important to note because in order to balance the insane plot growth the relationships in this story needed to develop abnormally fast. If you're looking for long drawn out courting or slow burn, it isn't in this story. Be prepared for romantic attachments to form quickly. Though i do my best not to introduce them too close together. Third important point is that this was a quest, which if you aren't familiar is something of a choose your own adventure story.
It was hard not to feel bitter, you reflected as you stared out the window of the orphanage you had ended up in. You knew there wasn't a point to it. You'd been getting screwed your whole life, and sulking had never been your drug of choice when it came to self indulgence, but this time the universe seemed determined to kick you in the teeth. Most people would be awestruck, you idly noted, to be given some sort of super power. Most people would love the fantastic gift that had been shoved down your throat. You however, were not most people. You glared at the message still blinking in the air.
Celestial forge accessed: Primary roll subsidized. Portable Workshop (Luck of the Draw) (200 CP)
Your scowl wasn't of confusion, the power told you what it did, and a dimensional gateway to a top of the line scientific workshop would be amazing for anyone else. The problem was that you hated building things. Hated anything to do with mechanics and tinkering. Hated anything that reminded you of your fucking father. Your mother had told you stories about him growing up, about the great and powerful Tony Stark, had even named you after him. You never understood as a kid why he wasn't around, why your mother would get a sad look on her face when he was on TV.
She never told him about you. You wished you could hold it against her, but you knew why she'd done it. She was afraid to be the girl who showed up with a baby and asked for everything. She had loved him, even in the short time they had together. Just another faceless groupie, brilliant and pretty and so forgettable. You could have forgiven him for that, for not knowing, even for not caring, but you couldn't forgive him for not being there when she died. She wasted away in a shitty hospital room with sub par treatment and he never came. She wouldn't let you tell him, she didn't want him to see her like that.
You used to love making things, she would get such a proud look on her face when you took apart the old appliances in the garage and made an RC car or a miniature robot. You were good too, and not just the kind of good all moms told their kids they were. You'd checked, and from what you saw in old articles you were even more advanced for your age than he had been. But without your mom around to cheer you on building anything felt like broken glass going down the wrong pipe. It was hard and painful so you stopped. And now you had a fucking science superpower.
It wasn't like you had an option either. You were an orphan with no income or support. You had to grab onto anything that made you special. You could make excuses for not using the things you got from him, but ignoring a fucking interdimensional workshop? You snarled at the drab rainy scenery outside the window before getting up and stalking over to the door to your closet. The "free standing arch" your workshop sat through tended to lurk one room over from wherever you were unless you actively looked for it and then it popped up wherever you were searching in your field of vision, and from what you could tell no one could see the damn thing except you.
You stalked through the archway and into the sprawling sterile chrome space. Parts and materials were sorted into small baskets you knew would refill if you used them, though you also knew from your powers information database that anything removed that wasn't part of a constructed object would vanish in twenty four hours. No selling parts for cash then. There was a time compression feature, which was actually amazing, but you needed to pay for each level of compression, and each one was one hundred "CP" as your power called them. You started with a two to one ratio which was useful enough for now, especially since you had no clue how to get "CP" aside from a vague sense that you should "be interesting".
None of the parts provided were too exotic. basic fasteners and some machining tools and metals for making more interesting things but no exotic elements or rare metals. You had the parts to make circuit boards and some very high end (though not unbelievably so) computers for software programming. Despite that you knew for a fact you could make something interesting out of it all if you so chose. You had done this dozens of times since the morning last week when you'd gotten your power, and taking that final step to try to actually make something never got any easier. Your eyes stung as you stared down at your shaking hands.
You imagined your mom. Blue eyes sparkling and long dark hair curling into ringlets like yours did when you let it get too long. You pictured her smile, how happy she would be for you to be working on something again. She never wanted you to hate your father, and she'd certainly never want you to hate yourself. You couldn't do much about the first, but you could probably try to work on the second. You took a deep breath and looked down at your new workshop.
Celestial forge accessed: Magic For Dummies spec: Enchantment, Rune Carving (I Saved Too Many Girls And Caused The Apocalypse) (800CP) Insufficient CP: 100 CP Banked.
You blinked at that. Wait, you could get fucking magic powers? Ok, that was actually pretty cool. You couldn't wait to get your hands on some magic abilities. For now though you only had my admittedly impressive for your age understanding of regular tech and some amazing facilities to work with. Best to get started on your rise to the top.
You had forgotten, honestly how nice it felt to get lost in the work. Sure there was pain at first as you thought about all the times your mother would come up and ruffle your hair and lean over your shoulder to see what you were working on, but it was also damn soothing to just fall into the work. Thinking about some of the people at the orphanage and some of the people who volunteer you decide you should do something nice with your newfound resources to help out. Several of the people there had made you feel at home at the place, you got along especially well with one of the volunteers, a pretty older lady named May who worked at the salvation army and said you reminded her of her nephew Peter.
It only took a few hours to make them a new TV, 8k wasnt exactly standard but it was easy enough for you and writing a small program to auto adjust the settings based on the incoming channel that you feel like the TV companies should have done it by now. After throwing together a combination signal booster and range extender for the wifi you realize you're in the zone and that you'd had a ton of fun working on that little TV adjustment program so you decide to write a small video game to put up on the steam store.
With the top of the line computers available in here not to mention high end 3d modelling software it isn't difficult to put together a simple but addictive game with a few microtransactions for a powerup. You write some easy code for a funny little platformer about an average high school guy who has to sneak through a graveyard full of demon high school students. Each clique is a different kind of demon with different powers and while possible to slip through without paying, extra lives and fun demon based powerups are available for a minimal charge.
Publishing that even with the time compression takes pretty much the whole night since you can only type so fast, but working on a passion project like that and helping out the people at the orphanage actually have you smiling for the first time since your mom died. It feels pretty good being useful and the game was fun to make. You let out a breath though and force yourself to put down your tools. Mom had always gotten worried when you let yourself go too long without eating or sleeping, and you'd been in here through Friday night and all of Saturday even with the two to one time speed.
You took a quick look through the archway to make sure the closet was empty then slipped out carrying the signal booster and TV. You passed them off to the woman who ran the orphanage, whose name was Anne, as gifts dropped off by a wealthy couple who came by to help. After setting them up for her you slipped off to the kitchen to make yourself a sandwich slapping together a PB and J for lunch or breakfast or whatever meal this was supposed to be.
After eating you take a quick nap and by the time you wake up its already Sunday afternoon. With nothing better to do you slip out of the orphanage and start walking, any direction feeling better than sitting still. You don't want to make a habit of using your work to distract from your pain so a little exploring might be the best thing. You check your bank balance and see your game already had a few free downloads and sold about thirty bucks worth of powerups which isnt too bad for the few hours you were sleeping.
With a bit of cash to tide you over you decide to take a walk around and see more of the city. You and mom had lived a bit out in the boonies at the edges of town so you weren't familiar with the area and there was plenty to see. People all over the place bustling to their jobs or home to their families or to the store to shop, and it struck you how alone you could feel even in a crowd. Without thinking you found yourself walking into a small dojo you spotted near the orphanage having considered martial arts lessons when you were a kid but having been unable to convince your mom.
The dojo was small and comfortable, the sign outside reading "Chikara" and the inside was well cared for if currently a bit empty. A pretty asian woman only a few years older than you were was mopping as you came inside and looked up at the sound of the door. You saw her look up but found yourself momentarily distracted from what she said by your power firing.
Celestial forge accessed: The Holy Collection (Dies Irae) (600CP) Insufficient CP: 100 CP banked. Total banked CP: 200.
You shook your head as you felt the shadow of an impression catch and release, and realize the woman was talking to you. "Sorry" you say dazedly "I got a bit distracted, can you repeat that?" The woman gave you a knowing smile that made you flush a bit as you realize that you probably weren't the first teenage guy to get distracted talking to her and she most likely made some assumptions about what had you zoning out that you probably shouldn't correct.
Her smile turned into a full blown laugh at your expression as she put down the mop and walked forward to shake your hand. "Its ok I've had days like that too, I'm Colleen, Colleen Wing, welcome to Chikara Dojo, were you interested in taking some lessons?"
You decide to ask about an introductory lesson, just to feel out how compatible you are with the style, and Coleen is happy to run you through a lesson to get a feel for things. The lesson starts out slow, some stretches and warm ups to get you ready to move, and then she starts taking you through some forms. The movements are deceptively simple and relaxed but you feel yourself using muscles you don't normally hit, and you haven't exactly been on a regular workout schedule lately anyway. Coleen moves with a confident assurance and calm that makes you more than aware this woman could easily kick your ass if she catches you staring at hers, though you would be lying if you said you didn't look even once. You are a teenager after all.
Luckily she either doesn't notice or doesn't care and you're quickly sweating too much to pay attention to anything but the burn. Coleen is much shorter than your five foot seven but she seems to somehow have double the reach you do with her movements, her body languidly flowing into extensions that would drop you on your back if you hadn't just been going for basic approximation, but as you go on you start noticing how she holds herself and where her balance is shifting to keep her centered and do your best to copy it. You almost definitely look like an idiot, but you came here to learn from an expert not show off for a pretty girl so you do the work and ignore everything else.
Almost before you know it Coleen drops out of her forms and takes you through a cool down exercise, tossing you a towel to wipe the copious amounts of sweat from your forehead. Your entire body aches from the workout, the slow steady movements somehow harder than faster ones would have been as you were forced to keep your muscles taught and moving evenly through several very uncomfortable positions. As you fall to the mat gasping Coleen gives you the most genuine smile you've gotten from her so far, not just a saleswomans smirk but a smile of real pride, and you can tell this woman genuinely cares about her students and the people she tries to help.
She reaches down to help you up with a chuckle and ruffles your hair, which you would definitely complain about if you weren't so damn tired. "That was a great first day, you have a knack for this, your balance was still trash by the end but it was a bit better than when you started. Most people don't adjust their center of gravity without being purposefully corrected." Her voice has that same quiet pride, and a hint of wry amusement that tells you that yes, she did notice you staring, and she wasn't going to mention it...this time.
You feel your cheeks flush, not used to positive feedback like this from adults since your mom died, except maybe May but the cheerful woman is always positive about everything. It feels good to work up a sweat and be told you actually accomplished something. You tell Coleen you want to take more lessons but you aren't sure about big classes since you don't spend much time with groups of people. She wants you to give the classes a try eventually but agrees to do a few more private lessons to help get you to a point where you wont feel like you're humiliating yourself. As you sort out a payment plan for later (no down payment thankfully) you feel your power fire again.
Celestial forge accessed: An Adaptive Enemy (Eclipse Phase) (600CP) Insufficient CP: 100 CP Banked. Total Banked CP 300.
You suspect Coleen noticed your eyes unfocus for a second when you saw that, but she doesn't mention it and you dont bring it up, and pretty soon you're shaking hands and thanking her for the lesson as you get ready to leave. "I really appreciate all the help Coleen, I'll be back again on Tuesday night like we agreed." You try your best not to let your wince show in your voice since you dont want to come across as weak.
Coleen chuckles and ruffles your hair again, which really has to feel gross with all the sweat but she doesn't seem to notice. "That's sensei to you now Anthony, I'm your teacher after today." You give her a serious nod, and like you've seen in movies and hoping you aren't making an ass of yourself you step back put your feet together and bow deeply from the waist with your arms at your side. From the proud and encouraging smile she gives you it was the right call and she bows back. You walk out of the dojo with a big smile on your face noticing its gotten dark and taking a deep breath to take in some the night air. The city is still noisy around just but a sort of relaxed background hum instead of the bustle of earlier, and you wonder to yourself what you should do now.
After some kicking around near Chikara you finally decide to drop in to see May. You admit to a bit of a crush on the older woman but you also just enjoy being in her presence. May had lost her husband some time ago and was raising her nephew Peter on her own, and the woman still had a smile and a kind word for every person she met. May Parker was the closest thing you had ever met to a real life saint. Making your way to the salvation army, you check your bank account, letting out a surprised breath at the new balance of three hundred dollars, easily ten times what it had been before.
Apparently your game was doing well, and you smiled at the thought of being able to give May some extra cash to take home for her boy. The salvation army usually had a few things you could use anyway. Your workshop only had parts for machines or weapons, you guessed there was some gold and stuff for circuit boards and audio pickups but it's not like you knew how to make jewelry or art. You considered making a gold plated laptop or cell phone and then just rolled your eyes, it would take ages to sell, make more sense just to make plenty of smaller devices.
You finally made it to the Salvation Army at about seven p.m. As usual when she wasn't at the orphanage May was there, the older woman working constantly to support her nephew. You smile as you think of how proud she is of Peter and how it reminds you of your mother. The bell on the door rings as you push it open and May looks up from stocking one of the shelves and spots you, giving a wide happy smile at the sight of you. "Anthony! What a surprise, I do love your visits!" Her warm look turns mockingly stern "I hope I'm your last stop young man, it's getting late and I know you have school tomorrow."
You smile at the concern and the warm feeling it gives you and reply with a laugh "Heading right back to the orphanage after this May, promise. Just had to stop in and see my favorite cashier, you got a break coming? I figured I could get us something to eat since i just got some cash from a game I designed." Mays warm smile returned as she shook her head fondly, standing up from behind the boxes to slip out into the aisle.
She slipped off her red apron and flipped the sign on the door to closed as she comes up to ruffle your hair, you pause for a second to consider why everyone keeps doing that but shrug internally, it is silky smooth. Your attention is dragged back to May as she answers " We're pretty much closed anyway, I was just doing some stocking. How about you pick something out you like and I'll get it for you, and we can get dinner to celebrate while you tell me about your new game."
You smile at the obvious attempt to make sure you don't pay for anything. You know May is tight on money, but shes also so used to taking care of everyone you should have figured she wouldn't be willing to take your offer. "I appreciate it but I'm pretty much good on clothes right now, how about I cover dinner this time and you can spot me for a new hoodie next time I come in." You see May bite her lip in indecision before finally agreeing, probably thinking about Peter and how the extra money means she can get him something from the restaurant, not that you aren't going to just order and pay for that too, but you know she thinks about him most of the time and it makes you smile softly.
You wait for May to get her coat and hold the door for her as you both leave blushing at her praise for being such a gentleman, and the two of you slip off to a nearby hole in the wall to eat. The meal is wonderful and the company is better, May regaling you with stories about Peter and telling you about his new internship, though apparently for legal reasons she cant say with who. You manage to snag a burger and some fries from the waiter when May is in the bathroom and pass her the box for Peter, which she takes, looking torn about letting you spend more money and you part ways in front of the restaurant, May making you promise to head straight back to the orphanage and get some sleep. As you walk off into the New York evening you watch May walk until she's out of sight, noting just as she leaves you view that you feel your power trigger again.
Celestial Forge accessed: MineFactory Reloaded | Industrialcraft | Buildcraft | Railcraft | Lore of Alex | Nethereye (Minecraft) (1450CP) Insufficient CP: 100 CP Banked. Total Banked CP: 400
You huff in annoyance as you feel the power miss again, wondering when the hell you're going to actually get something new. Judging by all the previous misses you should be getting to the point where you have enough CP saved up that aside from ridiculously expensive ones like this, you should be able to afford something you hit in the next one or two tries. You head back to the orphanage as promised, stashing your leftovers from dinner in the back of the fridge so you can have them for breakfast and head to sleep, exhaustedly stripping off you clothes and falling into bed without even showering. You can do that when you wake up, as you drift off to sleep you think about tomorrow, about your new life with powers and wonder where you do with your day.
_
Perks gained:
Portable Workshop (Luck of the Draw) (200 CP)
You have a top of the line workshop in a pocket dimension that you can access via a free standing arch. You can set the rate of time compression when you purchase the item up to thirty times faster by paying CP.
Feel free to find the story on Questionable Questing under the same name to vote on upcoming chapters. I update daily there, though this will probably update every week or two when I have enough material for a new post. This is important because I have very little control over where the plot goes, between the votes and the new powers changing fundamental aspects of the character I'm basically just along for the ride. This is also my first time writing second person and I slip once or twice, I tried to go back and fix it but if you notice a perspective slip sorry about that, I'm mainly used to first person. Aside from that my update rate is between seven thousand and fourteen thousand words per week, for the most part interludes aside I don't ever post less than a thousand words on any given day and usually try for two thousand recently. Sorry for the droning on at the beginning of the story but the quest format is going to be odd here so I wanted to warn everyone how it works, and hopefully head off any complaints about pacing or plot direction since I can't change either of those things. Hope you enjoy the story folks.
